Instructor Gallery

Instructor Gallery

Laura Goff

Yoga Instructor

After years of sports and marathon running, Laura fell into yoga in 2005 to help heal chronic back pain. She had been searching for the missing link and was surprised and excited to find that meditation and yoga were just what she needed. The mindfulness and spiritual awareness that accompanied the practice were both unexpected and life altering, and she is eager to share these healing benefits! Laura completed a 200-hour teacher training through Down Dog Yoga in Washington, DC, in 2013 and a 500-hour training with Rolf Gates in 2016. When she's not teaching, you can find Laura hiking all over the States, skiing, cooking, or just kicking back on the couch with her dog and a great book.

Lindsey dances professionally as a Soloist with Ballet Theatre of Maryland. She studied Ballet Performance at the University of Oklahoma, which is also where she was exposed to Pilates. Through the four years at school, she found Pilates to be a great cross training activity for her ballet career. Pilates also allowed her to keep in shape and healthy in her off season from ballet without too much impact on her joints. Lindsey is very excited to share her knowledge of Pilates with our students.

Lara has been studying yoga, meditation, and spirituality since 2007. She holds a certification in the Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra under Kamini Desai of the Amrit Institute as well as an RYT500 designation through Yoga4Life with Lynn Matthews. She currently studies neuroscience, psychology, and religion at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Lara enjoys helping people use yogic principles to find balance, stability, and focus to better navigate transitions in their fast-paced lives.

Jenna started her yoga journey in high school to gain more flexibility, but as the years passed her practice grew to a much deeper level. After a car accident in 2007, she dove into yoga to relieve severe back pain and aid in recovery from her injuries. Since her 200-hour training at Yoga on York (Jenna has an RYT designation), she has enjoyed weaving her personal training experience into various classes, from Therapeutic Power Flow and Vinyasa to Restorative. Off the mat, she loves cooking Indian food, travel, and time with family.

Laurie first began practicing yoga simply to get an effective, low-impact workout that didn’t exacerbate her knee problems—her first experiences with yoga, in 2001, were fast-paced, fitness-oriented classes that suited her type-A personality. Laurie has since reformed her stressed-out ways, largely through training as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist, and she now enjoys meditative classes as well as powerful yoga workouts. She believes strongly in the integrative healing power of both yoga and pilates for everyone, regardless of physical ability or previous experience. Laurie was a member of the first class of students in the Master of Science in Yoga Therapy program at Maryland University of Integrative Health, where she is now adjunct faculty, and has eRYT500 and YACEP designations. She is the Editor in Chief of Yoga Therapy Today.

Dr. Tom Hyland Robertson, RYT200, has been practicing yoga for more than 16 years, and particularly enjoys the physical challenges of the asanas (poses). His extensive clinical study of anatomy and physiology lends a unique flavor to his classes, which often focus on progressively building strength and balance. Dr. Robertson has suffered from serious back injuries in the past, including degenerative and herniated lumbar discs, and he’s reversed the damage from these problems with regular yoga and meditation practice (chiropractic treatment and pilates, too). With his wife Laurie, he opened Whole Chiropractic in 2007 to bring effective, safe, alternative healing to the Odenton/Ft. Meade/West Anne Arundel communities.

Sharon came to yoga in 2009 as a busy mother looking to increase her strength and flexibility. She quickly found that the practice benefited much more than her body and began to explore meditation and pranayama to deepen her practice. She began teaching yoga to children, using her skills as a pediatric speech language therapist to guide children in mind-body practices to support self-regulation through art, story, and movement. In 2016, she completed a 200-hour training at Loka Studios in San Antonio. Sharon believes that yoga is for everyone and enjoys teaching students of all ages and abilities.

Justin has been studying yoga and pranayama for the last 10 years. Initially the practices supplemented his other physical activities, but he quickly came to realize the additional benefits yoga can bring. He received his initial 200-hour yoga certification through Frog Lotus Yoga and is currently working toward 500-hour certification through the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. He also has training in guiding individuals who have suffered through traumatic events toward a path of healing. Justin truly enjoys helping people to become more mindful in their daily lives, and we're sure you'll enjoy his classes!

Jeanne found yoga in 2011 when looking for a way to rejuvenate her body so that she could regain the strength to resume practicing ballet after years of inactivity. She came to yoga looking for a physical healing and never imagined the mental and emotional healing she would find. Jeanne completed a 200 hour training program in the Baptiste vinyasa style, but is also trained in Ashtanga, Rocket, and Yin yoga. Jeanne's teaching focuses on providing students with basics and building blocks; helping students find where they are now and choose where they want to go with meditation and mindfulness.

Sharon left the corporate world after more than 30 years to follow her teaching passion. Her personal yoga practice includes various styles that create the space to balance mind, body, and soul. Sharon's teaching focuses on engaging students to support their needs and encouraging their own mind-body-soul connections. Currently continuing her training in yin yoga and ayurveda, Sharon received her initial 200-hour training certificate from Lifetime Fitness.

Thanks to her yoga practice, Valerie realized it was essential to let go of “busy-ness” and embrace stillness instead. Her classes encourage the use of body awareness to slow down and release tension. Whether she’s practicing yoga, cooking at home, or hiking with her husband, Valerie tries to move slowly so she can take it all in. She received her 200-hour teaching certification from Whole Yoga School in Denver. She is a passionate student of yoga and an advocate for living an “examined life.” Learn more about Valerie.

Maria has been practicing yoga since 2000 and has witnessed the benefits of her practice grow both on and off the mat. She has earned the RYT500 and PRYT85 (Prenatal) designations with Yoga Alliance. Maria has also completed her professional doula Certification and is a licensed massage therapist providing pain management therapy. She brings compassion, a nurturing touch, and attention to proper alignment to her teaching. Students can expect world music from her travels to accompany her classes.

Lauren's classes create space for observation and discovery in the body, mind, and breath while drawing from a number of techniques and philosophical traditions. She encourages joy in movement, and is commited to making yoga and pilates accessible for all. She is registered with Yoga Alliance as an eRYT200 and a Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). In addition, she holds personal training, orthopedic exercise, and strength training certifications. Off the mat, you can find Lauren reading (she's a former librarian), gardening, or on the trails with her husband and two dogs.

Leah started practicing yoga in 2004 and fell in love with it right away, completing a 200-hour teacher in 2015. In her classes, feeling good and body awareness take precedence over achieving difficult poses. Leah reminds her students that the benefits of yoga come from careful attention to sensations and breath rather than the external appearance of the poses. She lives in Columbia with her husband, two boys, and two dogs. She loves reading, hiking, and spending time in nature.

Vanessa brings heart-felt joy and a hint of playfulness to her teaching. She believes in the importance of not taking life too seriously and practicing the art of letting go every day, both on and off the mat. Having completed her 200-hour training with a variety of teachers from Liberation Yoga in Los Angeles with backgrounds in vinyasa, hatha, anusara, restorative, and Iyengar yoga, she brings a creative mix of lightness, breath, and challenge to her classes (accompanied, if you're really lucky, by her live harp music!). Vanessa's yoga specialties include yoga for veterans and active-duty military, pre- and postnatal, and kids' yoga. Off the mat you can find Vanessa playing harp professionally and spending time with her husband, son ("mini yogi in training"), and rescue pug ("diva dog").